1. First time Ever Broadcast of Priesthood Session – Not so fast on the popcorn
Church Leaders announced that for the first time, the Priesthood session of General Conference will be broadcast over BYU-TV, the Internet and even on public TV in some areas (this means you, Utah!). For many, this came as a complete surprise. While they have been publishing the talks in the Ensign and even posting the video on LDS.ORG, the time-honored tradition of inside jokes and a slightly (I mean, ever so slightly) looser format probably goes by the wayside. Now before you men and bioys think you can sit around home and watch in your skivvies, Peggy Fletcher Stack of the Salt Lake Tribune writes about a letter to be read in Church this coming Sunday, encouraging the men and boys to attend Priesthood Session at the Church. Which means we’ll get ice cream at my Ward afterwards. Someone just has to remember to wake the men up. Women, now’s your chance to see firsthand the instruction the men get to rule the Church with such an iron fist.
2. Church to Radical Mormon Feminists: Sorry, No Room in the inn, I mean Conference Center
As you may know, a small but radicalized group of women belonging to the group Ordain Women plan to storm the Conference Center standby line to demand entrance to the Priesthood Session as “Prospective Elders” along with the wimpy males who support them. They are hoping that the Lord will once again crack under public pressure as He did for Blacks (and gays, to some extent) and grant them their wish to be seated on the stand in an official capacity during Sacrament Meeting where they can watch all the texting, sleeping, massaging and kissing that goes on during Sacrament meeting. And they can spend even less time at home with their family after working 50 or 60 hours on the job.
Meanwhile, the Church issued a statement uninviting the radicals to stand in line hoping for a revelation granting them direct access to the Priesthood Session. Instead, Spokesperson Ruth Todd said,
“It is the hope of the church that the priesthood session will strengthen the men and young men including fathers and sons, and give them the opportunity to gather and receive instruction related to priesthood duties and responsibilities,” church spokeswoman Ruth Todd said Tuesday in a letter to the group, “much the same way parallel meetings are held for sisters, such as the general Relief Society meeting.
“It’s for these reasons that tickets for the priesthood session are reserved for men and young men and we are unable to honor your request for tickets or admission.”(Deseret News) However, feel free to watch it on TV.
According to their website, they plan to meet back at City Creek Park to talk to the public and especially the media about their experience or lack thereof. Alternate location, the Salt Lake City jail.
3. BYU Football Star Spencer Hadley – I messed up!
A rather interesting article appeared in Sport Illustrated, SI.com this week chronicling the suspension of BYU Linebacker, Spencer Hadley for an honor code violation. Unfortunately for him, what happened in Vegas did not stay in Vegas as an apparently Utah fan ratted him out after a night of partying with a BYU football booster. What was interesting about the article was not the honor code violation or the suspension but what happened earlier in the week. According to the article, the BYU team, including Hadley, went over to a prison (I assume it is the Utah State Penitentiary at the Point of the Mountain or as some might call it BYU-North).
Hadley addressed the prisoners and here is what he said:
“I’ve done some things that have embarrassed my family, my teammates, my school and even my church,” he said. “But I believe in redemption.”
“I know who I am,” Hadley continued. “I know who you are. We’re all children of a Heavenly Father. All of us in this room have made mistakes. Not one of us qualifies as being the vilest of sinners. Yet having made mistakes I know that we can change and we can come back and right the wrongs that we’ve done.” http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20130925/spencer-hadley-byu/#ixzz2g29nWr3u
Not sure you’d see that coming from any other star athlete at another school.
Any other news you want to report of comment on?
Wheat & Tares 
I’m assuming this is tongue in cheek in tone.
I gather from commenters elsewhere that the conference centre usually has empty seats during the priesthood session. I can see the official reponse excuses pre-allocation of ticket to the OW group, but not sure how they can justify denying entry once all the men wishing seats have been given entry, and there are still seats over. Isn’t that what a ‘standby’ line is for?
Jeff, I challenge you to a cage fight in the octagon so we can see who is wimpy. 🙂
sorry bad knee from all those years in band…..talk about wimpy
Regardless of the motivation for the presentation of the priesthood session online, I am very grateful for it. My deteriorating health makes it very difficult for me to watch the session in a more traditional way. Thank heavens I can watch it online!
Boy, I’d hate to have Ruth Todd’s job…
As for Hadley being ratted out by a Ute, aren’t BYU students encouraged to rat one another out in order to support the honor code? Please correct me if I am mistaken…
Oh, I forgot– Go Utes!!!
I do find it ironic that the women who were seeking recognition as future PH holders per temple language actually brought about male liberation.
As for the idea that “you wimminz has yer own meetin'” well that’s one reason you won’t see me standing in line to go the PH session. I have my own meeting to ignore.
They have to know there we’ll be less men and boys hanging out at the Church for priesthood session now that it’s on the tube. We stopped showing the other sessions two years ago because only one family used to show up.
Hadley got off light. His indiscretion has potential of bringing down some serious NCAA sanctions, and could even get his coach fired. I find it hard to believe that he was the only member of his team at that wild party, or at least the only one who knew about it.
Just keep printing up the sermons. If it is a good enough way to disseminate the message of the Four Gospels, it should work for today’s living oracles.